Coronavirus

Saudi Arabia stops Mecca pilgrimage, Japan shuts its schools, 80 per cent of Chinese exports are on lock down. Dr. James Freeman recants on his earlier article, affirms the global danger of Convid-19 and considers the potential impacts the virus will have for Australians and medicine supply.

Bettina Arndt

Ms Arndt was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to the community as a social commentator, and to gender equity through advocacy for men”.

Parliament has voted to strip Bettina Arndt of her Order of Australia honour over her calls for police to keep an open mind on whether Brisbane killer Rowan Baxter had been “driven too far” before he doused his wife and three children in petrol and murdered them.

Congratulations to the Queensland police for keeping an open mind and awaiting proper evidence, including the possibility that Rowan Baxter might have been “driven too far.” But note the misplaced outrage. How dare police deviate from the feminist script of seeking excuses…

But the motion is largely symbolic with the decision now resting with an independent board that will review the matter.

The vote on the motion mentioned was backed by the Coalition and the Labor Party in the Senate, securing an emphatic 55 votes.

Religious Discrimination Bill

More consultation and a third draft on the way.

Don’t trust Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.

A senior Coalition backbencher has called for the controversial religious discrimination bill to be scrapped because it is too “flawed”, saying it should be replaced with a new, single framework for all anti-discrimination laws.

The appeal from NSW Liberal Concetta Fierravanti-Wells comes as Attorney-General Christian Porter says “sensible” issues have been raised about the second draft of the bill and he will undertake yet another round of consultations with community and religious groups before introducing it to Parliament.

Don’t Divide Us

Meanwhile the freethought cats have miraculously been herded together and have produced a great campaign.

Mr Martin, deported to NZ in 2016 because of links to the Rebels bikie club, after 20 years living in Australia, last weekend tried to return following a High Court ruling that indigenous people could not be deported.

According to Nine newspapers, Mr Martin and other family members in 2016 obtained a certificate confirming their Aboriginal ancestry from the “Aboriginal Corporation of Tasmania”.

Michael Mansell, chair of the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, said he did not believe Mr Martin was a Tasmanian Aborigine.